If Facebook shares had audio to accompany the multitude of posts, the latest commentary surrounding Russell Brand on Newsnight would be littered with loud, smug and triumphantly-toned exclamations from people saying, “Yes! Finally, somebody is speaking the truth! Look at Jeremy; he’s being rendered almost speechless!” Fresh from his guest-editing spot on The New Statesman, Brand […]

The marketing and exploitation of the female image as part of the fame trajectory – for good or for evil – has a very long tradition. I first encountered the detail of helpless blind-ambition of fame-hungry starlets, whilst researching my book the Fame Formula. The manipulative craft of the publicist can be detected in the […]

Rumours of bake-off romance with Paul are rubbish but he is lovely, says Ruby Tandoh With her sultry model looks, Great British Bake Off contender Ruby Tandoh finally lifts the lid on her screen flirtation with judge Paul Hollywood. http://www.express.co.uk/news/showbiz/436297/Rumours-of-bake-off-romance-with-Paul-are-rubbish-but-he-is-lovely-says-Ruby-Tandoh

Whether it’s the Adidas Olympics, the lazy brand leveraging notions, the mobile space, even the Costa Book Prize, over the last decade we’ve become used to the venues and events living in symbiosis with the corporate giants. Many of these relationships have been mutually beneficial, allowing for the growth and survival of one party, whilst […]

Twitter decides to hire a ‘campaign strategist’ to woo Britain’s biggest advertisers ahead of its flotation on the stock market. http://news.sky.com/story/1153305/twitter-targets-100-top-uk-advertisers

If you’ve been anywhere near a newsfeed this week, you’ll have seen the clever “coffee shop surprise” viral ad for the remake of 70’s horror flick Carrie. The short video (it’s here if you’ve managed to miss it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlOxlSOr3_M) is set in a New York coffee shop, modified by some special effects pixies so that […]

So the Mail/Miliband hoo ha drags on – as I write this an argument already played out a hundred times on twitter is being hashed out afresh on Question Time. I don’t want to contribute to either side of the moral debate, but I do want to make an observation. For once, the Mail, the […]

As Labour conference fades away and the Tories’ own outing cranks into gear, I begin to long for silly season. After a month-long balm of survey stories and rubbish stunts, followed by a month of stultifying wonkish mumbo jumbo, I have found myself not hailing the return of ‘real news,’ but instead feeling mystified as […]